(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a liquid dispensing system that is maintainable in a hygienic condition such that the amount of contaminants introduced into the system is reduced. More specifically, a bottled water dispensing system is provided where a water dispenser has a feed tube mounted upright in a receptacle for receiving the neck of a water bottle, and a bottle cap secured to the neck has a central recessed portion with a relatively thin bottom portion for being pierced by said pointed feed tube. The recessed portion is protected from contaminants by a peel away covering.
(2) Discussion of the Prior Art
Liquid dispensing apparatus, in particular water coolers using bottled water, are known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 778,012 to Conover; U.S. Pat. No. 996,127 to Patnaude; U.S. Pat. No. 1,228,836 to Schulse; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,319,376 to Cooper all show variations of the basic water dispenser. Other liquids or beverages can be dispensed as well.
These prior art dispensers typically operate in a similar manner. The water to be dispensed is stored in a bottle having a neck surrounding an aperture. The bottle is loaded into a dispenser by lifting and inverting the bottle and placing the neck into a receptacle in the dispenser adapted to hold the bottle in an inverted position. The water can then be discharged through the aperture, through a tube or other passageway formed in the receptacle, and into a chamber in the dispenser, where the water may be cooled or heated if desired. The user may then draw water from the chamber through a stop cock or valve.
The chamber is vented to the atmosphere, and it is known in the prior art to filter the air that enters the chamber from the outside atmosphere. As quantities of water are drawn from the chamber, water is replaced in the chamber from the bottle, and a corresponding volume of air enters the bottle from the chamber through the passageway. Under equilibrium conditions, the water level in the chamber acted upon by atmospheric pressure is balanced by the water level in the bottle. When water is drawn off the chamber and the level therein drops, water from the bottle automatically raises the chamber level and equilibrium is restored.
Certain problems are associated with these prior art devices, however. First, dirt, foreign matter, and other contaminants may settle or collect on or around the neck and aperture of the bottle, and these contaminants may be dumped or scraped into the dispenser receptacle and consequently into the chamber when the bottle is inverted into the receptacle. Second, there may be a good deal of waste as the bottle is upended and placed in the receptacle. Third, if an adequate seal is not maintained between the aperture and the receptacle water leakage will occur over time. An inadequate seal will permit water to leak out, and this water may wash contaminants in the receptacle down into the chamber. Also, an inadequate seal will permit unfiltered air to leak in. If the air surrounding the bottle-dispenser system is contaminated, such as possibly in a factory setting, then this is another way of introducing undesirable levels of contaminants into the water system. While U.S. Pat. No. 996,127 to Patnaude shows a flange on the dispenser adapted to hermetically embrace a stopper projecting from the mouth of a bottle, this apparatus does not solve the problem of a dirty stopper on the bottle.